Papillon

 Papillon 1973

 

• Director: Franklin J Schaffner
• Seen by this director: Planet of the Apes
• Based on the book by Henri Cherrière
• Cast: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Steve McQueen – The Tower, Getaway, Bullit, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Great Escape, The Blob
• Dustin Hoffman – Last Chance Harvey, Stranger than Fiction, Finding Neverland, Moonlight Mile, Hero, Hook, Billy Bathgate, Rain Man, Tootsie, Kramer vs Kramer, Lenny Bruce, Straw Dogs, Little Big Man, John and Mary, Midnight Cowboy, The Graduate
• Why?  A classic.
• Seen: Once before. Now 1 April 2022 

You probably know the story. Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman are prisoners on an island. Escape is impossible. They escape.

So, does the film hold up after all these years?

Not so well. It’s extremely long and barely interesting enough to keep watching. Hoffman is worth watching in his half-blind, gimpy, Ratso-like role and it picks up a bit with the actual escape, but even that goes on too long. The story becomes unlikelier by the minute.

Nope. Don’t need to see this one again. 

2 * of 5